Bus trip
by msarahv
Summary: Dean was on foot. It sucked. He could afford one type of ticket. A bus ticket.


Dean was on foot.

It sucked.

First, it was because his baby was broken, which was so very sad that he had spent a whole day in Bobby's scrape yard, banging on some dead cars just to work on is frustration (he had stopped when he had found another Chevy. Those, he couldn't hurt). The accident hadn't been his fault at all, the truck driver had been declared legally drunk, while Dean hadn't (he had mostly drunk afterward, another way to cope with frustration.)

All in all, destructive habits could only get you this far and anyway, he had things to be done and they couldn't wait for his car being rejuvenated.

For instance, his brother's graduation day in Stanford, aka the college at the end of the world, way too far for him to walk to.

So, he was doomed. It wasn't as if he could board a plane, life wasn't simple as that. Even if he hadn't been afraid of flying (which he wasn't, no!), he could not, by any means, gather the money for a plane ticket.

But he could afford one type of ticket.

A bus ticket.

And he hated his life so much, right now. He couldn't even drink his anger off, because Sam, in his endless crusade to help his brother be more healthy (who gave him that right, really?!) had made him sworn not to:

"You have broken ribs, Dean... Alcohol will prevent you from healing."

"Bruised ribs, Sam. And they're almost back to normal, anyway" He had almost told him he had single-handedly crashed about ten car's windshields with barely any pain (just the kind that he could forget about) but had decided to pass. Sam was hard to argue with. Damn this lawyer's degree they were about to celebrate.

So, yes, he had promised. He fully intended to get hammered when back in town. Just not before driving his car.

The terminal was depressing, full of uncool people who didn't know you should always wear leather jackets and not polyester... anything. There was even someone in a trench coat. And teenagers listening to tiny music thingie, and he couldn't even do the same, because all of his music was on tape, he didn't have a walkman, and the tape player was in his damn car, which wasn't there.

The ticket was actually quite cheap considering, but he soon got why, when he sat at the back of the bus. How old was this relic? Who was the idiot mechanic in charge of the suspension? Was there even one?

Dean closed his eyes and sighed, like the marty that he was.

And then, things got worse.

Someone sat next to him.

In the almost empty bus.

Dean glared at the guy, who was staring back, with a shy little dorky gummy smile, while rearranging his trench coat:

"Hello, I am Castiel. I am glad to make your acquaintance."

Dean raised an unimpressed eyebrow, but answered nonetheless:

"Name's Dean. And I'm not a big talker, sorry." He vaguely shook the hand offered. It was soft and firm.

Castiel didn't take the hint. He kept looking at Dean with eyes as big as spoons. The bus had barely traveled a few miles. This was going to be a loooong journey.

It was Dean who relented. He was bored out of his mind, no hot chick had boarded the bus, the weather was grey as fuck, sue him. The guy was a stranger anyway. A good-looking one at that.

"Yeah, so, where you headed, Cas?"

"Hmm? Oh, you are addressing me with a shortened version of my name! How nice!"

Dean waited.

"Oh, I'm... I'm travelling to California. And yourself?"

"Same. Got a little brother to see."

"That's very nice. I have a brother too."

Dean waited again, but that was it, apparently:

"And he lives in California?"

A frown now (a cute one):

"Not at all. Gabriel lives in Kansas City."

"Oh, okay..."

This conversation was weird. Dean gave up and turned to the window. For a second.

"It's so nice travelling by road, isn't it? I feel much closer to the nature."

Dean laughed. Yeah, nature: asphalt, smoke, the highway. Of course, it would have been the same in a car, but at least he could have stopped whenever, gotten off the road to rest. Not have to talk with Mr Weirdo here. Even if his voice was soothing and a little arousing with how deep it was.

The bus was filling up so there was no way for Dean to find two empty seats to sleep on. He fought but the tiredness won. He woke up at dawn, his head on something bony. A shoulder. In a trench coat.

"Oh, you seem to be awake. How fantastic. I was getting quite lonely here."

And true, Cas still didn't talk like a normal human being, but there was something in his tone that still touched Dean. He knew what lonely meant. Even, as a child, when his father was away and his brother too young to help him. He had learned everything on his own, through trial and errors, cooking, ironing (and how to take care of burned hands) with no one around to even talk to.

When Bobby had come in his life, it had been so much better, but never for long.

They were always on the road, like he was now, never settling down.

Dean found himself telling Cas all this. The man knew how to listen, without judgement. He told Dean about his job interview, in San Fransisco, that he was sure he would fail but he had to try somehow:

"After all, this is what life is, isn't it? Trying, again and again, never letting go."

"Don't I know it. I'm not as happy as I would hope, but I've managed to build myself a nice little life in Lawrence."

"Dare I ask what your profession is?"

It was so funny, how Cas could tweak simple questions like that. Dean shrugged:

"I'm a bar tender. Not very classy but I like it."

"That sounds nice, indeed. I was a clerical assistant but my company went bankrupt. Gabriel has offered me to stay with him."

"And you refused."

"Not exactly. He's more the last resort before homelessnesss."

Dean had been homeless too. He stopped being sorry for himself and decided to cheer Castiel up. Saying corny jokes, making faces, playing childish road games. Cas was good at it. He had a great memory and could spot cars' colors rapidly.

By the time they reached San Fransisco they were tentative friends. Dean was sad to change buses so he gave Cas his number and proposed they get shitfaced if he didn't get the job. Castiel left with a grin.

Sam welcomed Dean like a hero. It was always so intense seeing him again. The ceremony was boring and overwhelming. Sam was a grownup, not Dean's baby anymore. But he still hugged Dean till he crushed him (he must have forgotten about the broken ribs) and told him he looked good and Dean was in Heaven.

But Sammy had a life here, friends, girlfriend, no place for a brother. Plus, Dean had to work soon and the trip was long. They parted, both of them crying, both of them denying it. Dan was emptier now.

He called Cas. He joined him in San Fransisco and they drank and Dean helped by stating that the company must have suck anyway and Cas was way better off.

They boarded the next bus. Dean opened up about losing Sam to Life, Cas told him about his dread of moving to Kansas city. Dean got a little insane:

"Why don't you come live with me, instead? I have a spare room."

He bit his lip but Cas was beaming. He didn't rescind the invitation.

Bobby needed an assistant. Castiel applied and Dean did all sorts of errands for his godfather until he hired his friend. Bobby laughed and said he would have anyway. Dean hid his cigarette stack in revenge.

Cas learned none of it. He happily started to work, thanking Dean every day for everything.

And then, Dean got sad again, frustrated with himself for liking the trench coat and the man in it.

For coming home early instead of scoring every night and not regretting it.

For watching Cas pour milk in saucers for all the stray cats that roamed the area.

Cas got vacation time and said Dean should get some too.

He gave Dean an envelope.

Inside were two tickets. To Las Vegas.

Baby was brand new but it slept in the garage and Dean almost didn't complain.

They kissed there, and fucked. And got married. Bobby threw a fit for not being invited. Sam congratulated him sensibly, which made Dean gag.

But he could never see a bus again without feeling giddy. A year later, they went on a honey moon at the Grand Canyon. Cas took Dean's hand to help him with the fear of height.

Two sad men at first and now they had the world.


End file.
